Dissolvendo fronteiras entre máquinas, humanos e outras espécies em uma cidade inundada

Abstract

This article uses Donna Haraway’s notions of worldly embodiment and folds of the flesh to analyze the kinship relations between humans, machines, and other species during the 2024 flood in Rio Grande do Sul. It seeks to understand how such relations made it possible to construct forms of collective survival and mourning. Using the cartographic method, we followed the process of using a network of geolocation technologies, messaging apps, jet skis, speedboats, dinghies, drones, and helicopters linked to a network of humans who rescued victims, made lunch boxes, bought groceries, organized shelters, provided health care and assistance, and provided media coverage of the tragedy. Although they were fundamental, these heterogeneous networks of kinship between humans and technologies should not be understood as a solution, but rather as a less harmful way of dealing with the problem and opposing the degradation of social assistance policies.